Life is a journey. Every single step leads to enlightenment.

Tombe la neige

Houston had a good snow-fall today, exactly 1 yr since the last one. Not like the sudden and short one that came late during the day last year, this snowfall was expected and falling all day long. It was a snow shower actually. The northwest-southeast wind coming from Western Canada and the Rockies brought an early Christmas gift – a white Christmas – to Texas, more to the Central Plain and South East regions of Texas. The snow flurries were like little parts of a big snowy cloud circling in the sky of the city. As always they looked pretty throughout the window. Watching it brought me back to the old snowy days in Iowa, just like any kids sitting by the window looking out through window or looking dreamy… and that romantic song “Tombe la neige” belonged to our hearts ever since. Yes, that feeling and the fireplace… It would be nice to cozy up in a blanket cuddling with and snuggling to that someone (I am a huge fan of being cuddled and giving cuddles; there is something about having a hug that just warms up my soul and makes the dark clouds dissapear, even if only for a moment) as I imagined this morning during a conversation with a LDMF (for now I guess)….
By the time I got out of office, the grass field to the side of the building was topped with a sparkling thin snow layer. Some cars still had icy snow flakes on their roofs. The sun came out briefly and was hurriedly chased away by the full moon. The roads were not too bad (compared to all those sleets up north with sand and salt that can damage any vehicles) driving home through the central and southwest area, just a few flooded areas here and there. Well, I left the office late, so as to avoid slow traffics.
The schools had to close early, and the companies around the city therefore always dismiss employees early. Parents hurried out to pick up their kids from school; buses run late; flights canceled or delayed; UPS/FedEx delivery postponed. Icy road conditions are reported to be serious on the highway loops / freeways. There was a spinning-car accident caused by black ice. I got some of those nerve-cracking, fun experiences. Hmm… black ice? I’d call it a below-zero Fahrenheit degree ball of polluted air and water. Mys sister Lily was driving back to Houston from Victoria. Hope she’d make it back safely.
After the snowy day, came the freezing cold night. The temperature is falling tonight.
HPD and Houston regional DOT office do not have enough sanding trucks. The city has some dump trucks of crushed rocks. Not sure where they use this stuff. While highways always need sands, Dallas always needs sanding trucks to keep them survive the winter road conditions; Houston goes with the liquid Magnesium Chloride to keep the bridges and overpasses from being too slick for traffic.
It’ll be in low 20’s by tomorrow morning.
‘Twas a historically snowy Friday for Houston, a “winter blizzard” day for Texans.